Service for Magic co-founder Pat Williams open to public

The family of Magic co-founder Pat Williams will be celebrating his life Friday in Orlando .

The service for Williams will be held 3 p.m. Friday at the First Baptist Orlando, which is located at 3000 S John Young Pkwy. in Orlando.

The church seats 4,000 and the service will be open to the public, the family said. A live-stream link will also be made available.

“Our family would like to thank everyone for their kindness, support and prayers during this time,” the Williams family said in a statement.

Williams — whose career spanned more than 56 years, including 30-plus years with the Magic and 51 years in the NBA — died last Wednesday due to complications from viral pneumonia. He was 84.

In recognition of his love for sports and his passion for the work of The First Academy, the Williams family wishes to designate gifts, in lieu of flowers, to the athletics program at The First Academy.

Gifts may be mailed to The First Academy, 2667 Bruton Blvd, Orlando, 32805, the family said. Online gifts can be made at https://thefirstacademy.org/giving/ or you may also contact Brian Rose at 407-489-6071, according to the family.

Magic co-founder Pat Williams encouraged, impacted those around him

“He loved a challenge, and when he moved our family to Orlando to start the Magic, he was full of excitement and energy that he displayed every day,” the Williams family said in a statement. “We all grew up believing that anything is possible because of his unwavering enthusiasm for what he was passionate about.

“Those who attended the games, saw him at church, or spent time with him in a social setting know that he never met a stranger and was always quick with an encouraging word,” the statement added. “He was a giver, a teacher, the ultimate cheerleader, and he was a life-long learner.”

With help from Orlando businessman Jimmy Hewitt, Williams convinced the fast-growing NBA to bring a team to Orlando in the late-1980s. Thus, the Magic were born.

Williams served as Orlando’s first general manager from the inaugural season in 1989 until ’96 when he became the senior vice president. He previously served as GM for the 76ers, Bulls and Hawks, where he had success at each stop.

In 2012, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall presented Williams with the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, which annually honors an international or national figure who has contributed greatly to the game of basketball.

“There is no Orlando Magic without Pat Williams,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He was held in such high regard in the basketball community and was a friend to me and so many generations of league executives.

“Pat was never at a loss for a kind and supportive word and always brought great enthusiasm, energy and optimism to everything he did throughout his more than 50 years in the NBA,” Silver added.

The father of 19 children and author of more than 100 books, Williams was a survivor of multiple myeloma — a serious form of bone-marrow cancer. An avid runner, Williams completed 58 marathons from 1996-2011, including the Boston Marathon 13 times.

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com